AGRICULTURE POSITION of AGRICULTURE on the OUTBREAK of WAR Lincolnshire Had a Higher Than Average Dependence on Agriculture, A
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
6. Agriculture AGRICULTURE POSITION OF AGRICULTURE ON THE OUTBREAK OF WAR Lincolnshire had a higher than average dependence on agriculture, a large agricultural population and few large towns or alternative employment.1 However, farming was a low-paid occupation. In 1907 the average weekly wage of an unskilled farm labourer was 15s 4d. Therefore poverty was usual and pauperism not infrequent. Hours averaged 58 per week, and could be longer. On 1 August 1914 Frederick Walker of Nettleham Heath, a farmer who served in the Lincolnshire Imperial Yeomanry, raised his men’s wages to 3s a day.2 Attitudes towards agricultural labourers were patronising. Prizes given at Agricultural Shows to labourers who had the greatest number of children without receiving parochial relief, were less than those awarded for a group of plants. Rev. Richard Lawson Gales, Vicar of Gedney, from 1909-27 said that Lincolnshire villages were ‘sleepy’ because the people were underfed, underpaid and poorly housed.3 To be free from worry of poverty a working class family needed a regular income of about 40s a week. Many semi-skilled men in agricultural engineering earned only 23s – 25s a week, and could be laid off when times were hard.4 These workers probably had more incentive to enlist than other groups.5 Pre-war agriculture operated on the landowner, tenant-farmer and labourer system and was essentially a livestock industry typified by W.R. Caudwell of Holbeach Marsh, a breeder of the famous Lincolnshire Red cattle. Farming was also a declining industry; between 1851 and 1911 agricultural labourers and farm servants in England and Wales had fallen from 1,097,794 to 622,279 males and from 143,147 to 13,214 females. In contrast, the number of horses available rose from 720,000 in 1840 to 815,000 in 1910. Mr C.C. Harrison, of Holbeach Hurn, bred Shire horses. He was also a life Member of the Society of Fruit and Seed Potato Growers. SHORTAGE OF LABOUR All contemporary estimates of labour shortages were uncertain, differing in various areas. Holland was less denuded partly because of the many small farms; but many large intensive agricultural businesses also retained a good proportion of labour. The Government had no means of knowing how many men had left agriculture for the forces.6 By mid-September, South Lincolnshire farmers were experiencing a considerable labour shortage for potato lifting and several Belgian refugees went from Spalding to Bourne Fen to assist. Swelling the unemployment difficulty, many of the Irishmen who came over in fair numbers had hurriedly left for home. People were unsure why since they had thrown up 'profitable employment', bringing in 6s to 8s a day. One farmer said the education authority ought to excuse children between ten and fourteen years old for a month to meet the difficulty. Older children could earn as much as 10s a week and it would mean £1 a week extra in some homes, very acceptable with food dearer.7 Hiring fairs and advertisements in the local press were the usual methods of obtaining agricultural workers but in October the Lincolnshire Chronicle published ‘Recommendations to Farmers’ from the Board of Agriculture & Fisheries whose President was Lord Lucas.8 Farmers should apply to local Labour Exchanges which were making special efforts to supply the names of available men and women with previous farm-work experience. In return, farmers were asked to state the wages and terms they offered, whether free board and lodgings would be provided, what kind of work was to be done, whether it could be done by women, and if so, whether suitable accommodation was available for them.9 One farmer suggested that if men left their tied cottages they could not return and their families would be turned out.10 Harvest became particularly difficult and in July 1915, teachers were wanted to help get it in because the supply of potatoes had been ‘left unconsumed’. By August there was a ‘great shortage of labour’ for farms and an appeal was made by the Winterton Farmers Club to the Dr Katherine Storr Created on 15/02/2012 11:51:00 Page 1 of 26 6. Agriculture public of the ironstone district to help. What was worse, the recent drought in North Lincolnshire had been followed by heavy rain that had flattened the crops.11 By March 1916 farmers were finding it even more difficult to find workers and it was reported that generally there was a labour shortage of ten to twelve per cent. This was now linked with low pay. The Times Correspondent said in the Eastern Counties’ arable farms about 30s per acre was paid out in wages per annum and argued that labourers’ wages should and could be increased by 5s per week. Farmers were faced with the alternative of working the land with a reduced staff, putting it down to grass or providing motor tractors which were becoming more dependable.12 Land was requisitioned for military purposes and on 29 September 1914, Helen Fane wrote that they had interviewed a farmer 'about the Lincolns drilling and manoeuvring on his land – he seemed most reasonable and willing.’13 Such co-operation was tested when appropriated land was unused. In January 1915, the Lincolnshire Chamber of Agriculture asked the Government to receive a deputation requesting arbitration or appeal in cases of agricultural land taken over.14 TRACTORS AND OTHER MECHANISED EQUIPMENT Agricultural machinery, being gradually introduced onto farms, was produced largely from the home industry, and estimates are that the output in 1913 was worth some £6.5 million. The industry consisted of mainly of small engineering works dominated by a few very large ones, especially those in Lincolnshire towns and in Lincoln itself. The largest producer of motor tractors in Britain before 1914 was Marshalls of Gainsborough.15 However, as a result of the two-decade agricultural depression, farmers could afford little in the way of agricultural equipment and home demand was largely for replacement machines and repairs. The number of tractors in Lincolnshire was still small by 1914. Foster's paraffin engined tractor, a two cylinder horizontal Hornsby engine, started with petrol, impressively pulled fourteen plough shares on a farm near Lincoln when undergoing trials prior to being exported to the Argentine. (Fig. 6.1) MLL 895.16 Dr Katherine Storr Created on 15/02/2012 11:51:00 Page 2 of 26 6. Agriculture Fig. 6.1 Foster's paraffin engine tractor. MLL 895. From Lincs to the Past by courtesy of Lincolnshire County Council. http://www.lincstothepast.com/photograph/294282.record?pt=S Agricultural workers saw machines as a threat. Helen Fane’s journal included a notice issued by the police on 22 August 1914, telling farmers to provide at least one Night Watchman to guard corn stacks to prevent firing and warning the public to avoid the vicinity of stacks between sunset and sunrise.17 On 2 October there were stack fires at Cabourne (near Caistor), and at Brandy Wharf. Another, at Redbourne (near Scunthorpe), resulted in the destruction of a new threshing set belonging to Mr Beech of nearby Hibaldstow, the traction engine just being got out of the way in time.18 On 3 September, 1918, threshing machinery was damaged at Pinchbeck Marsh, near Spalding. In September 1915, Mr Drewery of Little London, Boston, held a sale of threshing machinery including four traction engines. This sale was described as ‘A unique occasion, not seen in the town before’ but no reasons were given for it. Workers found machinery dangerous. In December 1915 George Richardson of Pinchbeck and other employees of Jackson Bros., Deeping St Nicholas, went to court claiming their lives had been placed in danger while working with a threshing machine when the driver left it running. Consequently, they left after half a day’s work.19 Fig 33 indicates some of the dangers; this Fordson was started by handle and had spiked rear wheels. Dr Katherine Storr Created on 15/02/2012 11:51:00 Page 3 of 26 6. Agriculture Fig. 6.2 MLL9051 Harry Johnson on a Fordson tractor. From Lincs to the Past by courtesy of Lincolnshire County Council. http://www.lincstothepast.com/photograph/302438.record?pt=S For the first two years of war, the supply of machinery to farmers was adversely affected by the manufacturers undertaking government munitions contracts. Nonetheless, state-sponsored mechanization increased the numbers. The Government bought about 500 tractors which were distributed around the country by War Agricultural Executive Committees. There was a wide variety of types and implements, not all reliable, but this gave farmers their first real experience of tractors. As the need for home-produced food became urgent, the Board of Agriculture appealed to the agricultural colleges and local education authorities to provide facilities for demonstrations. The Lindsey Council began a series of exhibitions showing the ‘Universal’ motor-plough made by Messrs Saunderson & Mills, Bedford, and the American ‘Sandusky’ motor-digger.20 In April 1915 a demonstration of the Hull Tractor, manufactured by the Hull Tractor Co., Newton, Iowa, was held on Mr J. Gilliatt’s Potterhanworth Farm and tested to plough a field on the heath. It was a great success, in both the short time taken and the quality of the work. It was also tested for road work, taking hay from the fen to the station, which included 'some severe hills'. The cost of these tasks was estimated and declared favourable.21 A demonstration of ploughing by another American tractor, the Big Bull, was arranged by Mr Jos. Bowser in Mr Mowbray Gilliatt’s field near Langrick Station at Frithville on 10 and 11 February, 1916.